The Dame Jane

While we're often familiar with the feats of strong women in front of the camera, we want to give you a glimpse into the world of one woman behind it. Meet Jane Campion, a pioneer for women in film, and the director of Sweetie, which we'll be screening this Friday, Nov. 18 for The Bullock Museum's #femmefilmfridays.

Pictured: Jane Campion

Learn more about Campion:

Campion is the only female filmmaker in history to receive the Palme d’Or (think of it as the French Oscar), and the second of only four women to ever be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director.

She has an extensive history when it comes to performance. Born in New Zealand to a family of theatre, Campion’s family eventually founded the New Zealand Players theatre group. After graduating with a degree in Anthropology, she attended the Chelsea Art School in London and then earned a graduate diploma in Visual Arts from the Sydney College of Arts. Dissatisfied with the creative limits of painting, she turned her attention to film.

Shen started her film career with a bang. In 1986, one of her first short films, Peel, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. After Peel, Campion went on to begin a legacy of producing fantastic films centering around gender politics and the power of reclaiming feminine sexuality. She earned another Palme d’Or for The Piano in 1993, and the same film won the best director award from the Australian Film Institute, and an Academy Award for the Best Original Screenplay. And in 2016, Campion was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2016 New Year Honours.

Image from Jane Campion's "Sweetie"

So, join us this Friday at the Bullock Museum for #femmefilmfridays and a screening of Sweetie, Campion's feature debut. The film has won numerous international awards and has been released by the Criterion Collection.

If Sweetie is your first foray into Dame Campion’s films, we hope that it’s not your last.